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Richard Wheeler Memorial Fund to benefit Wareham libraries

Mar 7, 2019

Richard Wheeler was a big supporter of the Wareham Free Library. Here he is during his “paddlethon” to raise money following the failure of an override. Photo courtesy: Nora Bicki

The Friends of the Wareham Free Library have announced the establishment of a memorial fund in honor Onset naturalist Richard Wheeler to benefit the Spinney Memorial Branch of the Wareham Free Library.

Wheeler was an environmental advocate, a lifelong educator and a longtime supporter of the Wareham Free Library.

His kayak trips fueled fundraisers for the department, which he once described as “Wareham’s shining light.”

When the library’s budget was severely cut after an override vote failed in 2008, Wheeler kayaked 20 miles a day from Oct. 11 to Dec. 13 during a personal “paddlethon.”

He was greeted on beaches and docks throughout the fundraiser. At the end of the journey, Wheeler wrote: “I am resolved that the only way the Town of Wareham can ‘get into a better place’ is through strengthened education.”

In honor of Wheeler’s memory, the Friends will also purchase a variety of books on environmental topics for both the Main Library and the Spinney Branch.

Anyone wishing to donate to the Richard Wheeler Memorial Fund may do so by sending a donation to the Friends of the Wareham Free Library at P.O. Box 735, Wareham, Massachusetts, 02571. Donations may also be dropped off in person at the Main Library or Spinney Branch. Note “memorial fund” on the memo line.